Pan coating apparatus



.F'eb. E2, 3957 L. D. MALLET ETAL PAN comma APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1954 NNU 96 066 IN V EN TOR.

LOU/5 0. 114441.67

, BY Pinko/VD I? Mi YJZvul- Y Z/ HAS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 PAN COATING APPARATUS Louis D. Mallet, Pittsburgh, and Raymond R. Maccary,

Export, Pa., assignors to Mallet & Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 9, 1954, Serial No. 414,942

3 Claims. (Cl. 118-313) This invention relates to a machine for coating the inside surfaces of baking pans with a film of grease, or other coating compound, that will assure the release of baked goods from the pans after the baking operation.

Heretofore, it has been customary for such machines to spray or to brush the grease onto the interior surfaces of the pans, without, in either case, providing adequate control over the distribution of the grease, resulting in its deposition on portions of the pans that do not come in contact with the baked goods. Subsequently, during the baking operation the grease carbonizes on those areas and makes the pans diificult to clean. In addition, where a spray type greasing machine is used, the grease is generally dispersed in an atomized mist that is wasteful of the grease and coats the machine itself and adjacent objects with a highly objectionable film.

It is accordingly among the object of this invention to provide apparatus for distributing a uniform film of grease or some other coating compound only on predetermined areas of the interior surfaces of a baking pan, without losses due to atomization.

It is a further object to provide such apparatus in which the interior side surfaces of the pan may be coated with a uniform film of coating compound in the form of a continuous band or ribbon of any desired width that will permit the release of baked goods from the pan.

Still further objects include provision of such apparatus in which a plurality of pans may be coated quickly and simultaneously, and in which the operating mechanism is simple and dependable in operation.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the pa greasing apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a similar end elevation of the same apparatus, showing a baking pan elevated into the coating position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the adjustable mounting of the grease dispensing heads shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail drawing, partly in section, of the dispensing head and baking pan shown in Fig. 2.

In accordance with this invention, the pan coating apparatus comprises a dispensing head that includes a rotor disc that is adapted to rotate at high speed in a horizontal plane. The pan to be coated is first brought into vertical registration with the disc and either the pan or the rotor is then moved vertically to bring the rotor inside the pan. A metered quantity of coating material is then introduced under pressure onto the upper surface of the rotor at a point inside its periphery, where it is subjected to large shearing forces by the rotation of the rotor and reduced to a thin film on the rotor surface. This film moves radially outward over the top surface of the rotor and is finally flung by centrifugal force radially outward from the edge of the rotor against the inside surfaces of the pan where it forms a narrow band of coating on the interior surfaces of all four sides of ice the pan. By raising or lowering the pan relative to the rotor, the width of the band of coating can be increased to cover the desired area on the sides of the pan to insure the release of baked goods. By varying the speed of the rotor the size of the flung particles can be controlled and made as fine as desired, so as to control the thickness of the coating film on the sides of the pan.

Referring to the drawings, the pan greasing machine includes a conveyor 1 adapted to receive a plurality of strapped baking pans' 2 from a delivery conveyor 3 at one side of the machine. Usually five or less baking pans come strapped together as a single unit as shown in Fig. 1, and the pan greasing machine illustrated in the drawings has five dispensing heads 4, one for each pan in such a strapped group. The number of dispensing heads could, of course, be more or less than five, depending on the number of pans it is desired to coat simultaneously.

Spacing means are provided, as shown in detail in Fig. 3, for changing the horizontal spacing of the dispensing heads 4 to conform to the spacing of the pans in any strapped group. This spacing means includes two horizontal support rods 6, each threaded at one end opposite the threaded end of the other rod. Suspended on these rods are support blocks 7, which support the dispensing heads 4. The support blocks are slidably received on the support rods with the exception of thesupport blocks at each end, which threadably engage the threaded end of each rod. The support blocks are connected together by the lazy tong arrangement of interconnected metal bars 8. Rotation of the upper support rod in Fig. 3, by tuming the knob 9 on the left end of that rod, permits the righthand dispensing head to be indexed with respect to its supporting frame; and rotation of the lower support rod, by turning the handwheel 11, adjusts the position of the lefthand dispensing head and also adjusts, through the lazy tong arrangement, each of the intermediate dispensing heads to space them in accordance with the size and spacing of the pans to be coated.

Where a group of strapped pans is moved by the conveyor 1 into position below the dispensing heads, it is held there by indexing means not shown in the drawings.

After the dispensing heads have been properly spaced to register with the pan openings, a vertically movable pan support 12, shown in Fig. 2, raises the group of strapped pans so that the rotor disc 13 of each dispensing head is received within one of thepans, which are then in a position to be coated.

As shown in detail in Fig. 4, each dispensing head includes a rotor 13 in the form of a disc, which is mounted on the shaft 14 of an electric motor 16 and is rotated at high speed in a horizontal plane. The top surface of the rotor is preferably smooth but, if so desired, may be finned, grooved or otherwise contoured. While each totor disc preferably has a fiat upper surface, as shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that such upper surface may be of conical, hemispherical, or other shape, and that a plurality of discs may be used for coating each pan. Immediately above the rotor, and preferably as near to its supporting shaft as is practicable, is an opening 17, which is connected by a passage 18 to a conventional metering valve 19, which is in turn connected by a conduit 21 to a reservoir (not shown) of grease or other coating compound. The purpose of the metering valve is to feed predetermined or metered quantities of grease or other coating compound upon the upper surface of the rotor. The valve shown in Fig. 4 is charged with a measured amount of grease by pressure in the conduit 21 and is discharged by spring action within thevalve when the pressure in the conduit is vented, such venting being done by conventional means (not shown) when the pans reach the end of their vertical travel on the movable pan support 12. The grease or coating compound dehigher shear'stre's'sie's uii til it 'is reduced to the 'thi er a nnirsm filmhear his edge "or the arse, riem w ch 7 it iss-finally "threes radiallyearward against the inzefier surfaces at the-pan. During the'g'reafsing operation'the 15a; i's 'coiitiiiuous'ly raised (6rlowered hyth'e p'ansupport illfs'o tha't the coating is depsited bn the-hides 6f. Tth'e pan 'ih the foim 'o'f-a continnoiis'baiid, the height of is "oiitrglletl by the vertical distance the pan is 'iaered' nerin {the-greasing oifieri'rtibnflarid the thickness or when is eeagmneaby the "enmityof grease that is "rhet'rd to the rotor; 'byfthe rate at which "the pan is r 'sed by the speed-er the fotbn During the greas- 'bp'eratien imprints-preferabl raised re'iaiive to the r ot ,so "that when the'panis threaiter lowered, any residual gre'a's'e 'ren'iainihg on the "rotor is flungradially ciiitward to fcoat ar'e'a's already coated. a resultfthe ib'tor will be dry and free of grease when the is i fiiialIy-"lowred intoits original position onthe'conveycr "onto the delivery conveyor 22 v I "among the; advantages of this vention that it .is d ignedto apply a measured quantity of-gre'ase or 'other "a'iid to irisur'e'prop'rrlea'se of baked goods from the n. 'fiierefare no losses due to atomization since the grease is thrown by the rotor radially puarara in the plane or the'rotor until it strikes and'adhere's to the pan.

1 re siii'fac'es of the sides of the pan Where ithas been found that proper greasing assures the later release of baked goods. sln orther Words, with the apparatus of t s'i'nvention, there is n'o deposit 'of grease on undesired "areas of the pan where it might carbonize during the fsmomit of'coating compound applied may bein'creased or decreased by varying the measured. quantity bf grease sythe metering device on to the, roto1fdisc In adfditlon, this invention perniits'a plurality joffl'p ansjin a f's ped set; to be greased simultaneously, with the'a'ptdcach pan of arun'iform band or coati'ng'that suit in baked goods having a unifbrm surface and coloring, and having no oily taste caused by es sive' apphcation ofgrea se.-

V Afurther advantage of the present invention resides in its capability toapply'compound greases ofhigh viscosity at-"meal temperatures, that is Without requiring the ap- (mp5 external heat tore'diice that viscosity, while ventiiina'l, spray greasing machines must either use a oil or heat the grease to render it less viscous for atohnzatiOn. Asa result, the coatingplie'd by entional machines tends to drain by gravity from the i areaswhere it is directly applied to other areas of the pan where the'- p res ei1t:e''ofgrease or oil is not desired. I With 't i it rains ofthiis invention, on the other hand, any .i'of 'theapplied, 'c'oatiiig is entirely eliminated, eating is sufiiciently viscous to adhere to the eratsurfaces of the pan. A still further advantage of 'shown'in Fig. 1, from which it can be moved to the fe atmgeea oana to the inside'lshrfac'esof a baking' pan,

e'g re'as'e may be deposited over controlled areas on the applying such viscous. compound. greasesis. that. normally cause much less smoking during the baking process than do oils and greases oflighter viscosity. s

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what-we'now consider to represent its best embodiment. ,gfiowever 'we-rdesire to have it understood that, within he see e of the appended t ms, the inventij lmfayb e prac'ticed ethervise than as specifically 'mtsii'ateaasa describd.

We claim: a

Appara us. v a ..apn yins .a. -..cc tin w mno n in band of predetermined width to the interior side' surfaces' 0f an open top bakirig'pan, "cbiiiprising a rotor disc adapted to rotate at high speed and having a flat upper 1 between the pan androtorf for-receiving marshal inside the 'and' fonvaryingthe depth of the rotor below the top-er the pan, dispensing means for iht'roducihg "a ineasured quaintity of coating "compound onto the'upper "serrateo'f' t-he ro'tor inwardef its periphery while the ricito'i-fisrotating inside the pan and while thef pan and V rotor-are beingf'iriov'edr'vertically relative to each" other 7 by saidel'evating means, whereby the coating compound willbe fliIhg-radia-lly outward from the periphery of the rotbr bnto 'the-ii1terior side surfaces of the pan intlie for-n1 er a continuous band theividth of. which is deten' ent 'mihed by the extent "of the relative vertical; movement 7 "between the pan-aiid irot'ordurihg the time tliatthis coatin cemponnd-is beiri'g 't lung butward'by the rotor.

2. Apparatus-tor applying a coating conipound inf'a band prpr uetermined width to the interior sidesurfaces of a'st rappd grbnp of baking pans, comprising a pIurality of flatirotor discs, one for each'pan in said group;

adapted-tomotate at high speed in a horizontal plane; means for supporting the pans below the. rotor disc s; means for horizontally spacing allof the rotor disc's simultaneously as a, unit to center each discover a separate pan; elevating meansfor effecting relative vertical movenient between the rotordis'cs and the group of:pans: as a unit. and for varyin'g'the. distance between. each rotor disc and the bottom of the pan in which it is received; so that a rotor disc: is. received'within each pan with the upper ,blocktor each rotor disc on. which the disciis rotatablv mounted, horizontally extending. support 'rods jslidably supporting each block; lazy tong connections between the blocks; and-,means for horizontally displacing one of said blocks relative to another, thereby to adjust thespac- 'ing between each of saidrblooks.

' herrncga' cine min file of thi aiem UNITED; STATES PATENTS 

